Buy Four Warner Blu-ray Discs And A Player, Save $100

Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by MegaZone

Amazon is running another Blu-ray sale, this time you buy any four of 22 Warner Blu-ray discs along with an eligible player, and you save $100 by entering code AMAZONBD when you check out. The Blu-ray titles range in price from $16.95 to $25.95. There are three eligible players: the 80GB Sony PlayStation 3 for $399.99, the Sylvania NB500SL9 for $199.98, and the Samsung BD-P1500 for $211.73.

Personally I don’t think the Sylvania is worth consideration. It is a Profile 1.1 deck, one of the many rebadged versions of the Funai NB500. With the Profile 2.0 Samsung less than $12 more, there is no point in considering the Sylvania. So it really comes down to the PS3 vs. the BD-P1500. They’re both Profile 2.0 / BD-Live with the latest firmware. The PS3 is generally reviewed as one of the best, if not the best, BD deck available, but the Samsung is no slouch either. So if you’ll use the PS3s other features – gaming, broadband content downloads, etc, enough to justify the extra ~$200, go with that. Otherwise the Samsung is a solid choice and a good value.

According to the offer details, it is running through December 31, 2008. Though I expect they may shuffle the products available in the bundle over the next few months.

From Blu-ray.com

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TiVo Reassures Users About The Digital Transition

Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by MegaZone

Back in July TiVo emailed Series2 users who were using antenna input to give them info about the digital television transition coming in February 2009 and what they could to to continue receiving their signal. Basically add one of the TiVo-compatible digital-to-analog converter boxes, or upgrade to a TiVo with digital tuners (Series3, HD, HD XL).

Today I received an email (below) from TiVo designed to reassure me that I wouldn’t be affected by the transition. (Which I already knew, of course.) It is nice to see companies helping to explain the transition to their users. There has been a lot of confusion out there.

The email:
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They’ll Be Using A Laser For That

Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by MegaZone

Done with DLP? LCD so last year? Plasma passe? How about frickin’ lasers! That’s right. Mitsubishi’s first LaserVue HDTV is now available. And that’s not just a cute brand name, it really does use lasers. The 65″ HDTV uses laser light to project the image on the screen. The lasers provide high contrast and depth of color, while using one-third the power of LCD and one-quarter the power of plasma. Of course, all this will set you back $6,999 MSRP. But isn’t that a small price to pay for a TV with frickin’ laser beams?

The press release:
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The End Of An Era – JVC Stops Standalone VCR Production

Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by MegaZone

JVC, one of the creators of the VHS format and one of the earliest producers of VCRs, has announced they will cease production of standalone VCRs. Sales will end when existing stocks are depleted. However, they will continue to manufacture VHS/DVD combo units for those still clinging to their video tapes. (I personally own hundreds of VHS tapes, but I haven’t actually used one in ages. Just last night I found a stash of unused blank tapes still in shrink wrap, must be from before I got TiVo in 2002.) Since 1976 more than 900 million VCRs have been produced worldwide, and 50 million of those by JVC.

Via Engadget.

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Wal*Mart To Sell T-Mobile G1 Android Phone – Cheap!

Posted on Tuesday, October 28, 2008 by MegaZone

Wal*Mart Wednesday will begin selling the T-Mobile G1 smartphone, powered by Google’s Android platform, for only $148.88 with a 2-year contract. That’s less than the $179.99 available directly from T-Mobile with the same commitment. The phones will go on sale at 550 Wal*Mart stores in the US. This according to CNNMoney. The Wal*Mart bump bodes well for Android.

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